Iowa prosecutor charged over deportation threats to doctor
October 14, 2020 10:52AM AKDT
In this Oct. 12, 2020 booking photo provided by the Appanoose County Sherrif’s Office, in Centerville, Iowa, shows Ryan James McCord. McCord, a former criminal prosecutor in Des Moines County, is charged with harassment for allegedly threatening to pursue meritless criminal charges against his ex-fiancee, a doctor from Iran, that he warned could lead to her deportation. (Appanoose County Sherrif’s Office via AP)
By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa prosecutor has been charged with harassment for allegedly threatening to pursue meritless criminal charges against his ex-fiancee, a doctor from Iran, that he warned could cause her deportation. A criminal complaint alleges that Ryan McCord was an assistant Des Moines County attorney in Burlington when he allegedly harassed the woman for months after they ended their relationship. The woman works as a physician at the Great River Medical Center in Burlington on a visa for foreign-born doctors. McCord allegedly falsely told the woman that he had a pending domestic violence charge against her at the sheriff’s office that could be filed if they didn’t get back together.
